Investigation of changes in the properties of diamond-like films under friction by the XPS method

The combination of unique physicochemical, mechanical and tribological properties of diamond-like coatings determines the prospects for their use in critical friction units, including those operating in a rarefied atmosphere and vacuum. The properties of diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings depend on the contribution of the sp2 and sp3 fractions of the carbon hybrid atomic electron orbitals. Modern methods of determining the graphite and diamond proportion in coatings are time-consuming and insufficiently accurate. In addition, the determination of the sp3/sp2 ratio is often difficult due to the displacement of the energy position of the C1s electron line. In this paper, the change in the chemical state of carbon over the thickness of a diamond-like coating is studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Analysis of the carbon line fine structure of the differential graphite spectra (sp2 bonds) and diamond (sp3 bonds) allowed us to establish the parameter δ, which determines the ratio of the graphite and diamond components in the DLC coating. Profiling with Ar+ ions of the diamondlike coating surface showed that with an increase in the etching time, the proportion of amorphized carbon increases, which means that the antifriction properties increase with the abrasion of the coating. The obtained regularities allow us to predict changes in the tribological properties of DLC coatings during operation. Ion profiling also allows to determine the thickness of coatings with high accuracy.

Ionization profile of meteors from simultaneous video and radio forward scatter observations

<p>In this study, optical video observations of meteors with the CAMS (Camera for All-sky Meteor Surveillance)-BeNeLux network and radio forward scatter observations with the BRAMS (Belgian RAdio Meteor Stations) network obtained on 4-5 October 2018  are combined in order to obtain an ionization profile along a meteor path.</p><p>The trajectory, initial speed and deceleration parameters of a given meteor are provided by the CAMS-BeNeLux data. For a given trajectory, the positions of the specular reflection points for radio waves are computed for each combination of a given BRAMS receiving station and the BRAMS transmitter. For each receiving station which recorded a meteor echo (depending on the geometry and the SNR ratio), the power profile is computed and the peak power values of the underdense meteor profiles are used to determine the ionization (electron line density) at the various specular reflection points along the meteor path. This is done using the McKinley (1961) formula which is strictly valid for underdense meteor echoes.  We discuss how we compute the gains of the antennas, the polarization factor, and how the peak power values are transformed from arbitrary units into watts using the signal recorded from a device called the BRAMS calibrator. We also discuss how to extend this study to overdense meteor echoes or those with intermediate electron line densities.</p><p>Finally, these results are combined with a simple ablation meteor model in order to obtain an estimate of the initial mass of the meteoroid.</p><p>Mc Kinley D.W.R., Meteor science and engineering, Mc Graw-Hill eds, 1961</p>

Specular meteor observations and full wave scattering modelling: observing faint meteors

<p>There is a continuous flux of meteoroids entering the Earth's atmosphere, which are decelerated and heated by collisions with atmospheric molecules, and, depending on the meteoroid kinetic energy, they vaporize and form an ambipolar diffusing plasma trail, which is easily detectable using radar remote sensing. Specular meteor observations are a widely used radar technique to measure winds at the Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere (MLT). The altitude dependent lifetime (decay time) of the meteor plasma columns provides valuable information about the mean temperature of the atmosphere.  Part of the success of these systems is based on the efficient scattering process compared to meteor head echoes.</p><p>Here we present observations with the Middle Atmosphere Alomar Radar System to detect the faintest observable meteors using the specular geometry, but a focused beam with a beamwidth of 3.6° and the full power of 866kW of the system. We compare our observations to an orbital dynamics model of JFC comets and derive a meteor velocity distribution for the observed population.</p><p>Further, we performed extensive modeling using a full-wave scattering model based on the model presented in Poulter and Baggaley, 1977. We conducted extensive simulations with the full-wave scattering model to investigate how different plasma distributions would affect the detectability of the meteoric plasma cylinders considering the initial trail radius, diffusion, and electron line density. The obtained reflection coefficients are validated with the triple frequency CMOR (Canadian Meteor Orbit Radar) measurements convolving them with the Fresnel integrals. Our results indicate that the plasma distribution can significantly alter the detectability. Further, the model shows that the observed decay time depends on the polarization of the transmitted wave relative to the meteor trajectory, which also revealed resonance effects for certain critical plasma frequencies. </p>

The Solidified Structure and Macrosegregation of Wedge-Shaped Titanium Castings Produced by Vertical Centrifugal Casting Process

The present paper studied the as-cast structure and macrosegregation of the wedge-shaped castings produced vertical centrifugal casting process at different mould rotating speeds. The element distributions were determined by the secondary electron line scanning in the S-570SEM type scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the grain sizes of the castings were observed by the optical stereoscope. The research results show that the grain sizes increase with increasing of casting wall-thickness, but decrease with increasing of the mold rotational speed. The cooling rate is high and rotational speed is not high enough, therefore, there is slightly macrosegregation trend for the alloy element of Al and V in the wedge-shape castings.

Distortion of meteor count rates due to cosmic radio noise and atmospheric particularities

The determination of the meteoroid flux is still a scientifically challenging task. This paper focusses on the impact of extraterrestrial noise sources as well as atmospheric phenomena on the observation of specular meteor echoes. The effect of cosmic radio noise on the meteor detection process is estimated by computing the relative difference between radio loud and radio quiet areas and comparing the monthly averaged meteor flux for fixed signal-to-noise ratios or fixed electron line density measurements. Related to the cosmic radio noise is the influence of D-layer absorption or interference with sporadic E-layers, which can lead to apparent day-to-day variation of the meteor flux of 15–20%.

Three-loop radiative corrections to Lamb shift and hyperfine splitting

We consider three-loop radiative corrections to the Lamb shift and hyperfine splitting. Corrections of order α3(Zα)5m are the largest still unknown contributions to the Lamb shift in hydrogen. We calculate radiative corrections to the Lamb shift and hyperfine splitting generated by the diagrams with insertions of one radiative photon and electron polarization loops in the graphs with two external photons. We also obtain corrections generated by the gauge-invariant sets of diagrams with two reducible radiative photon insertions in the electron line and a polarization operator insertion in one of the radiative photons, and diagrams with two reducible radiative photon insertions in the electron line and a polarization operator insertion in one of the external photons. Corrections to the Lamb shift and hyperfine splitting generated by the diagrams with insertions of the three-loop one-particle reducible diagrams with radiative photons in the electron line are calculated in the Yennie gauge.PACS Nos.: 12.20.Ds, 31.30.Jv, 32.10.Fn, 36.10.Dr